Joblessness Down, Employers 'More Confident'

State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler says includes the words "encouraging" and "economy improving" in his comments Monday concerning the latest Georgia unemployment report.

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate fell to 10.0 percent in March, down two tenths of a point from February's 10.2.

There were 15,600 more payroll jobs in March--an increase of four tenths of a percentage point in February. 60 percent of the newly-added jobs came in leisure and hospitality. But jobs were also added in manufacturing, computer system design, transportation, and educational services--among other areas.

“The drop in the unemployment rate is encouraging, but I’m more pleased that we’ve now had two consecutive months of job growth, coupled with fewer layoffs,” said Butler. “It appears that employers are growing more confident that our economy is improving.”

Butler also says the decrease in the long-term unemployed is another positive sign. 50,331 laid-off workers filed initial claims in March, a drop of more than 9 percent.

Georgia's current unemployment rate of 10.0 remains above the national mark (8.8 percent) for a 42nd straight month.